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The shift to the cloud is rife with opportunity for enterprises, and perhaps none are quite so strategic as placing critical insight into the hands of decision makers via cloud analytics platforms. Yet, as the analytics landscape evolves, not every cloud analytics platform is created equal.

Impactful cloud analytics platforms bend to the needs of users, rather than the other way around. That’s why it’s essential to know if a platform delivers the architecture and functionality needed for deployments at enterprise scale. Here are the top 10 critical capabilities for cloud-based analytics platforms:

1. Simplified Enterprise Deployment: The cloud exists to simplify deployment. Yet, the majority of cloud software and platforms still require IT expertise to download, install and configure. Look for analytics environments that are deployable by any user with the touch of a button.

2. Global Availability: Enterprises that serve customers outside of the U.S. know that storing data locally offers major benefits. Beyond faster connections and lower latency for customers, it often means proper compliance with local laws and regulations. The same is true for a cloud analytics platform. At the end of the day, a platform with a global presence can make the difference between decisions that save time and money and those that lose resources.

3. API-enabled Operations: Utilizing a cloud analytics platform that operates on an open API and provides connectors means organizations gain unlimited flexibility to create custom workflows and dashboards. This includes making use of personal web pages that are branded with the same look and feel of the organizations. APIs can also be utilized in natural language generation, AI, machine learning and other emerging technologies such as voice assistant devices (Alexa, Siri, Google Assistant) in your analytics environment.

4. Disaster Recovery and Failover: Cloud analytics platforms are strategic to an organization’s everyday business. This means planning for worst case scenarios. Ask hard questions of your platform provider and evaluate whether or not they can help you execute an immediate recovery plan

5. Centralized Administration: Platforms that give administrative power to the user are both beneficial to the workflow and cost effective. For example, many analytics environments don’t need to run outside of work hours, or have clear peak usage times. Dictating the size of your environment given critical hours can save resources. Even more, scheduling run time in advance means nobody has to “flick the switch” and environments are fired up and down through automation, providing an additional layer of convenience for platform users.

6. Auto Scaling: As organizations amass vast amounts of data, their on-premises infrastructure often struggles to keep pace. Platforms that take advantage of automatically scaling environments up or down based on demand means agility and fast growth.

7. Seamless Upgrades: When platforms are hosted in the cloud, upgrading environments can be as simple as opening a browser with one click. This creates a level of governance on-premise installations could only dream about. Ask your analytics platform provider how they handle upgrades – do they take full advantage of cloud infrastructure?

8. High Performance and Reliability: Data is the core of today’s modern organizations, and without fast, reliable access to KPIs and data analytics, organizations risk losing their competitive edge. Just because you are in the cloud does not mean that you won’t be slowed down by other companies competing for the same resources. By working with a provider that uses a single tenant approach, your organization will never have to question if other customers are constricting your performance and reliability.

9. Data Connectivity and Migration: Your analytics platform shouldn’t inhibit productivity. Whether you want all of your data or just part of it on your analytics platform, there should be no obstacles standing between you and your data analytics. It’s critical to find a platform that provides flexibility to connect your data to any data source.

10. Data Security: When it comes to data storage and management, security is the number one concern. Finding a platform you trust that’s compliant with the needs of your industry is integral to both cost and efficiency.

With these 10 critical capabilities at your disposal, your team will be in a strategic position to not just have access to analytics, but also experience the full benefits that cloud platforms have to offer.

I have worked in the application software area of the IT industry for over 25 years including specialisation in retail systems and consulting. During that time I have successfully led a global IT project for a Fortune 300 company, worked internationally for software vendors at executive management level (Mannesmann Kienzle, Oracle UK, Oracle Switzerland, Retek, Digital Union, SAP and MicroStrategy) and was a Partner and EMEA service line leader with Deloitte Consulting.